liver scan confusion

[rambler3]

hi all i am a new member here , and i am constantly worrying . last year i had a liver scan wich revealed fatty liver a smooth liver with no stiffnes or anything else to attract attention to it ,,, well my heamatologist then sent me for a proper assesment of my abdomen wich meant another scan at local a+e witch is at a different location from first scan , this came back as fat infiltration and more or less the same as the first scan , now my heamotolagist reckons nothing jumps out at her with my scan and blood test results but she feels i need a fibro scan as the liver is like a unbaked cake and needs a proper scan , so my question is what sort of scans have i allready had ? how can i find out what sort of scans was they and a couple of months ago in a telephone call over a missed appointment she now thinks i have cirrhosis , so this now has been going on for 15 months and i am sat here in no mans land with no appointment and no where to turn for advice exept the only thing i was told is never drink again , no diet advice no nothing really this all started because my high blood pressure was being investgated. thoughts any one ? . thanks for taking time to read this but the only thing i have been left with is the issue of well its your own fault for drinking to much . right i really am in a quandry of what to do next or where to turn . thanks all for reading have a great and wonderful day ,,,, stay safe !

[AyrshireK]

How did they do the scan you've had?

An ultrasound is like what pregnant ladies get - cold gel on your tummy and a 'wand' rubbed over your tummy, back, side etc. With the operator getting a picture on a screen.

Fibroscan is sort of similar but without the gel and not rubbing - wand is passed over your liver area with a sort of click when they take readings - usually 10 or more. It measures fibrous tissue in a kPa score which can then be interpreted to see what degree of tissue density there is on the F0-F4 scale.

The other scans are the CT scan or an MRI scan - CT is like a tube where you slide in on a table and the scanner takes cross section pictures of your whole body or parts of the body required. MRI you'd probably know if you had that one, it's the rather claustrophobic tube that makes lots of noise.

You should NEVER be treated like it is your fault even if it is alcohol related. Obviously the advice about no further drinking is imperative. If they think it is cirrhosis that diagnosis needs to be confirmed and then you should be regularly monitored by (preferably) a hepatologist/liver specialist or at least a gastroenterologist, you will need 6 monthly scans and blood tests to keep an eye on your liver.

Healthy eating, less processed foods, less sugar, less salt and just general better eating is the way to go. Later on if is confirmed you do have cirrhosis then ask for referral to a liver specialist dietician who will give individualised dietary advice based on your personal circumstances (one diet plan doesn't fit all as it depends on your stage of illness).

The BLT website is a gold mine of information and I strongly advise a look round there. The patient charter, liver disease test page, living with a liver condition, alcohol and liver disease and the cirrhosis pages may all be of particular use just now.

I'll link to patient charter which details what level of care you should receive, common questions to ask etc. first and you can navigate round the site yourself.

britishlivertrust.org.uk/li...

During my hubbies liver journey (non alcohol related, auto immune cirrhosis) we've found that you should perhaps have someone accompany you to appointments (pre-post covid) as two pairs of ears are better than one, have a notebook in which you should note - any current meds, any symptoms experienced and any questions you want to ask at appointments. If you educate yourself about your potential condition you can then get the most out of clinic appointments and avoid that white coat syndrome where your mind goes blank and then you leave with tonnes of unanswered questions. If you have a list you can work through that and jot down answers.

If you need any help and support just holler, always folks here to share experiences and knowledge. (and at some stage we were all newbies and lost too!).

Katie

[rambler3 in reply to AyrshireK]

thanks for your reply katie i am walking to my doctors to see if i can arrange a phone consultation , but so far the best thing to do is wait for a fibro scan and take it from there . oh it turns out it was 2 ultra sound scans i had , many thanks for your information and reply, kind regards !

[Tommy62]

Your story is similar to mine I was at hospital in April with pains in my back and nose bleeds done scans and bloods told me I had a bit of fatty liver so in june I had an appointment over the phone which I thought was to do with the fatty liver in April it was but then the specialist says to me did you ever get the results of your fibroscan in 2018 I said no well he said you need to stop drinking your borderline cirrhosis I near fainted he said I will have a scan in 6 months still haven't heard a thing from them I haven't drank in 5 months but dont know where I am with it borderline 2 years ago and wasn't told my doctor new nothing about it either just told me not to drink no medication no nothing well I hope you get sorted soon goodluck

[rambler3 in reply to Tommy62]

thanks for your reply tommy i hope it all turns out good for you ! tc